No surprises for Mets as starter Mike Pelfrey continues to dominate

William Perlman/The Star-LedgerMets starter Mike Pelfrey improved his ERA to 2.39 on Tuesday night in San Diego.SAN DIEGO – No one is surprised.

Not anymore.

That was the consensus from the Mets clubhouse on Tuesday night in the wake of Mike Pelfrey’s gem, eight innings of one-run baseball out here on the West Coast. Pelfrey matched his career-high for strikeouts (eight) and did not record one outfield fly-out in a 4-2 drubbing of the Padres.

He pounded the strike zone, wielding his sinker and splitter for strikes over and over. In the center field, Angel Pagan bounced back and forth to keep his legs warm. He would not field a flyball during all of Pelfrey's eight innings.

He faced his old nemesis – the prospect of holding runners – in the sixth inning, but managed to escape after allowing one run to cross home plate. At one point, Rod Barajas stepped out from behind the plate and told Pelfrey to slow down. Pelfrey did.

His entire night took 110 pitches. He gained strength as the innings progressed.

And that, his teammates (and manager) say, is what they expect:

Jason Bay: “He’s been one of those guys that’s always had the stuff. He’s a man child for starters. He’s like Lenny from ‘Of Mice and Men.’ He doesn’t know his own strength . . . We had faced him last year in interleague, when I was in Boston, his numbers weren’t overwhelming. But everybody would always say ‘This guy’s better.’

Angel Pagan: “I’ve heard a lot of guys, a lot of big hitters telling me how good of a pitcher he is . . . I heard it from Albert Pujols one time in spring training, if I’m not mistaken. We were there. He was like ‘Wow, that guy. He’s nasty.’ When you’ve got a guy like him saying that you’re nasty – you’re nasty.”

David Wright: “When Mike takes the mound, he has three plus pitches that he can get you out with. And he throws them all for strikes, you get the result that you get tonight.”

Jerry Manuel: “He’s become the whole package now.”

Rod Barajas: “The day that Pelf pitches, you know that you’re going to get a good effort. You’re going to get some action. The infielders better be ready, because he’s going to be throwing a lot of fastballs and you’ll get some groundballs.”

David Wright: “With him, it’s just about him having that confidence. He has that now. He’s got a swagger to him. He expects to go out there and dominate. And that’s what he’s been doing.”

Pagan: “Hopefully he can win the Cy Young, man. If he’s pitching like that, man, he’s got a good chance.”